College President Named Temporary Chancellor

Trustees of the Ventura County Community College District late Tuesday named Moorpark College President James Walker as temporary replacement for Thomas G. Lakin, the chancellor who died Nov. 27 from a fast-moving infection.

But the appointment will only last until the governing board can make a formal choice for interim chancellor, who will then serve for the months it takes to recruit and hire a permanent selection.

Trustees will meet in special session Saturday to continue discussions about replacing Lakin over the long term. The search for an interim chancellor could ultimately extend outside the district, where the experience of a retired administrator would be tapped.

Less likely is the possibility of appointing one of two vice chancellors--Jeff Marsee, who is in charge of the budget, or Jerry Pauley, who oversees the district’s employees, trustees said.

Any interim appointee is expected to serve only as long as it takes a search committee to recruit and hire a new chancellor. The temporary chief would be responsible for implementing policies dictated by the board, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the district.

Several sources said Tuesday, however, that it might be difficult to hire a permanent replacement before June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

Board President Timothy D. Hirschberg, who was sworn in as the new board leader earlier Tuesday night, said he favored naming someone from within the three-campus district to assume Lakin’s responsibilities for the months ahead.

“No one knows our district better than the people who work here now,” Hirschberg said in an interview prior to the board meeting.

“I’ve got confidence in the team we’ve already assembled and I’d like to draw on their talent,” he said. “I want to do what’s best for the district, but we are in a financial pinch.”

At least one of Hirschberg’s colleagues, however, favored a slower approach.

Trustee Pete E. Tafoya recommended the board form a committee to study the process that should be employed in selecting both an interim chancellor and a permanent successor to Lakin.

“A chancellor really sets the tone for the district,” Tafoya said. “You want to make sure the individual is right for the district, and the district is right for the individual.”

Tafoya said he already has been in contact with a group called the California Community College Trustee Assn., which catalogues potential leaders for community college districts in need of interim replacements.

But Hirschberg disagreed, saying the district has a pesky habit of putting off crucial decisions.

“The college district is always too quick to rush to committees and task forces, and over-discuss issues,” he said. “The board needs to take the bull by the horns and make a decision. It’s what the public has us there to do.”

The presidents of the three academic senates, faculty panels on each campus that make recommendations to the governing board, asked that trustees choose an interim chancellor who has experience in the district and as a teacher on a college campus.